Fire
by LoquaciousLycanthropic
Summary: Roy Mustang controlled Fire. Roy Mustang was Fire and Fire was Roy Mustang. Roy thought that he only needed Fire, but will Roy find out that he needs Edward Elric, too? R&R please!


Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Although, if the maker of the very wonderful story decides to sell it, I'll definitely be first in line to buy it.

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Roy Mustang controlled Fire.

Roy Mustang _was _Fire and Fire _was _Roy Mustang.

They were one and, being one, could not live without each other. Fire needed Roy as much as Roy needed Fire.

Roy believed he could never love anyone as much as he loved Fire. Fire was his one true love. And, Fire, being object much more than human, loved Roy as much as any object could love.

Roy believed that he only needed Fire and no one else. He believed that if he only had Fire, he could live.

Of course, he needed his subordinates, too. He needed Riza Hawkeye to remind him of his weakness: Water. He needed her to tell him that his love, his Fire, was no good in the rain; that when it was raining, Fire failed him.

He needed Havoc and Breda to comment on Fire. He needed them to look on in awe as his Fire fried yet another crook, as his Fire stopped yet another attempt of treason.

He needed Fuery and Falman to scurry away at even the mention of Fire, afraid of being cooked to nothing more than ashes. He needed them to be afraid of him, making him feel above them, making him feel powerful, and making him proud of Fire.

He also needed Maes Hughes. Hughes, his one and only best friend outside of Fire. Hughes and his millions of pictures, was another that Roy counted on to be there, right beside him, even when Fire failed. Roy counted on him, looked to him for help, expecting him to always be there to help push Roy and Fire to the top.

But, even though there were many Roy needed, many who felt they needed to be there for Roy, Roy felt he only actually _needed _one. Fire.

Then Edward Elric came into his life. A small boy in need of hope, a family, and his lost childhood. He was a real child prodigy, Roy could see that. He had, after all, survived human transmutation, attached his brother's soul to armor, and then gone through automail surgery, all at such a young age. Roy wasn't even sure that he could do all that and survive, even with Fire beside him every step of the way.

Edward Elric intrigued him. How, Roy wondered, was it possible that he had not died? How was it possible that he was a great alchemist, better even, though he hated to admit it, than Roy Mustang and his Fire? It wasn't right. Roy was older, more mature (most defiantly), taller (of course), longer practiced, wiser, and, though it had nothing to do with alchemy, better looking. Where was the equivalent exchange in the fact that a boy, barely out of grade school, could be a better alchemist than Roy Mustang, Hero of the Eastern Rebellion?

For the first time in his life, everything that Roy believed in; Fire, equivalent exchange, and himself; let him down.

Edward Elric became the youngest state alchemist ever. Roy didn't blame the state for wanting him under their control. A young boy with that great of a talent could be dangerous without proper training.

He became one of Roy's subordinates, and Roy soon began to need the young alchemist as much as the others.

He needed Edward to test his skills, to test his Fire. Roy needed him to yell at him, to begin fights with him, to blow up every time Roy called him small. He needed Edward to be there so Roy could practice hitting targets; after all, Ed was an ideal bull's-eye. Roy needed Edward to call him names none of Roy's other subordinates could get away with.

Roy came to look forward to when Edward came back from his missions. It seemed to office would perk up, become brighter as soon as he walked into the room. There would be commotion, of course. Edward would be angry with Roy, thinking Roy knew what was going to happen on the mission, thinking Roy _tried _to kill him, thinking Roy _wanted _him to waste military money just so that when Edward came back he would have a reason to criticize him.

But Edward was wrong. The reason Roy sent him on the missions he did was because he _knew _that Edward would come back angry. And Roy loved it when Ed was angry. When Ed was angry, Fire seemed to light his insides, making him warm. When Ed was angry, Fire seemed to be happy. And Roy loved it when Fire was happy.

Roy became high off of Fire's happiness. He looked to try to find more ways to spend time with Edward Elric. It became an obsession of his. Look at Edward Elric and make Fire happy. Talk to Edward Elric and make Fire joyous. Make Edward Elric furious and make Fire ecstatic.

Maes Hughes called it a crush. Roy Mustang told him to piss off.

It couldn't be a crush, after all. Roy was nearly 14 years Edward Elric's senior. It would be wrong, disgusting. They could loose their military positions, if not for the age difference, then for fraternizing with subordinates. Then, there was the fact that both Edward and Roy were males.

But, Roy's protesting was drown out by what his heart and his Fire were really saying.

Roy Mustang loved Edward Elric.

Hughes tried to help him, telling him everything would be all right, it was just a crush, and it would pass. But, Roy knew better.

Hughes tried taking Roy to a bar, tried making Roy drunk, tried to get Roy to take a women home, but Roy would have none of it. He only wanted one person, and that one person was the one Roy couldn't have.

Finally, Hughes gave in.

"If you love him, truly love him, Roy, then I have nothing more I can do but help you get him."

Of course, Hughes had to go and get himself killed before Roy could reach his goal. Roy couldn't bring himself to be mad at Hughes, though. He could only manage to be angry with himself. Angry with the way Fire didn't seem to care that his best friend was dead, angry with the way Fire only seemed to care about one person: Edward Elric.

After that, Roy tried to distance himself from Edward. He tried to send the Elric on longer missions, tried to get him off his mind.

However, the absence only made Roy worry about the young major.

Hawkeye tried talking to him, tried to make him tell her what was wrong, why he was putting the Elric brothers in danger. But he let nothing slip, only telling her that they were now old enough to take care of themselves and didn't need easy missions anymore.

No one saw through Roy's façade, no one, except Alphonse Elric.

"Colonel, why do you insist sending Brother and I on such dangerous missions? I know you hate Brother, but to try and kill him?"

Fire leapt within Roy at the mention of Edward, but then backed off, feeling slightly ashamed.

"I'm _not_ trying to kill him, Alphonse," Roy told the youngest Elric, truthfully. "I'm just sending him on missions that need to be done, and he just happens to be doing nothing."

Alphonse decided to cut to the chase, obviously. "Colonel, I know sometimes you feel like strangling my brother, but I also know, that most times, you don't. I know how you feel about him."

Roy choked on air and Fire was extinguished.

"Y-you what?"

"I know you don't hate my brother. I just said that earlier to see if you would say anything against it."

Roy coughed, slightly, to make up for the awkward silence hanging around them.

"I-I see."

Alphonse looked at him expectantly, as expectantly as a suit of armor could. Roy ignored him, doodling on his paperwork, trying to find something to do, other than look at the youngest Elric.

"What do you plan to do about your feelings, Colonel?" Alphonse asked.

Roy groaned hoping the topic would have disappeared. He really didn't want to be having this conversation with Edward's brother. It was awkward. Fire burned within him, trying to think of answers to please the youngest Elric.

"What do you suggest, Alphonse?"

"I suggest you act, Colonel, before he's gone." Then, Alphonse walked out of the office, leaving Roy behind to think and calm Fire.

Roy's mood changed drastically from that point on. He pondered Alphonse's words, becoming moody and short tempered with his subordinates, causing Hawkeye to shoot off a couple of rounds at him. He sent people out on pointless missions, just to get them out of his hair.

Then, Edward came back. Stomping into the office, glaring at anyone trying to stop him, he banged open Roy's door. Fire jumped within him, burning up his insides with every step Edward took.

"I'm back, Colonel Bastard."

Roy just sighed and laid a head on his desk. "Welcome back, Fullmetal."

"What, no short jokes?" Edward asked. Roy didn't answer. "Mustang, are you sick?"

Roy shook his head. "No, Fullmetal. I just happened to have a…very interesting conversation with your brother before you left."

Edward raised an eyebrow, not sure what to say to that. "And what was said conversation about?"

"Is it any of your concern what my private conversation are about, Edward?"

Edward snorted, saying, "Hell yeah! It's my brother you had a conversation with. I think it's my business."

"Then go ask him yourself, Fullmetal."

And he did.

Roy groaned, knowing his secret would finally be out. If Edward didn't hate him before, he most certainly would now. Fire berated him for being so careless. He should have made up something else, something that wouldn't put his job on the line.

Roy knew what he had done was stupid. He knew that Alphonse would tell Edward everything, like always. He knew Edward would go to the Fuhrer, and the Fuhrer would take away everything he had achieved: the state alchemist title and Colonel.

Roy Mustang was, to put it bluntly, a dead man.

But, the knock on his door the next day was not, as he had expected, the Fuhrer. Instead, as the door opened, Edward Elric walked in. Roy looked at him in surprise and Fire curled in happiness.

"Al wouldn't tell me anything. He told me that it was something only you and I could talk about. So spill, Mustang."

Roy blinked, not knowing what to say, So Fire took over, controlling his voice, forcing three words out. "I love you."

Roy was horrified about what he had just said. How could Fire? It had failed him once more, for, surely, Edward would turn right around and storm out of the office, laughing and telling everyone that Roy Mustang, famous womanizer, was in love with him, Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist.

But, he didn't. Edward stood up from the couch. He walked toward the desk and Roy was very aware of his large, yellow eyes on him.

The next thing Roy was aware of was Edward's lips on his, kissing him. Roy's eyes widen in shock as Fire burned brightly in triumph. Slowly, Roy's eyes closed and he kissed Edward back, forcing his tongue into Ed's mouth.

When they finally pulled away from each other, Edward opened his mouth again and said, "I love you too, Bastard." Grinning, Roy pulled Edward to him again and covered his mouth with his own.

And, for the first time in his life, Roy Mustang found someone that he loved and needed more than Fire. And they were both fine with it.

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A/N: 'Ello all! I have to say, I rather like the beginning of this fanfic, but absolutely hate the end. O.o

Inspiration song: On Fire by Switchfoot

Please read and review. I'd really appreciate it as I wrote this in the first 2 hours of our drive from Canada to home and I'd like to know if my boredom causes me to write good stories, or crappy ones. Thanks lots!

R&R!


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